Can’t really comment on the midi stuff as I don’t use renoise that way, afaik it is lightyears away from traditional sequencers like cubase dealing with quantization and recording. There is still no native mode for overdubbing, live recording with empty or cloned patterns automatically being added (something like; http://www.renoise.com/tools/auto-clone-patterns ).
Also about recording smooth slides, I think the automation needs to get an overhaul, being able to set a higher resolution for recorded changes or have them interpolate through an envelope instead of recording in point mode by default. You know you can record midi controlled parameter changes inside the automation editor instead of the pattern editor, right? (toggled through the icon left of Q, bottom of the pattern editor)
There’s no option to my knowledge to hear the notes on the current line while hearing a new note that’s being recorded onto the track also on the current line. You either hear one or the other.
You want to be able to input a sound through midi or computer keyboard (when the song isn’t playing), and while pressed and being recorded on the cursor, have all the other note events in the particular row in different tracks playing as well? Sounds like a good feature suggestion! Nice alternative recording mode to find harmonies in melodies more easily, offsetting the recorded note to what is already present on that line in the pattern. Right now you’d enter the note, move the cursor to the entered note and press enter to hear the complete row.
There’s no way to play the current line in a way that skips lines like if you entered a note or hit the delete key (step length), so if you want to enter notes and a song is already expanded, there’s no way to hear what’s there while entering notes UNLESS you enter the notes live, and then it’s time to spend a half an hour editing it so it’s usable. It’s so freaking cumbersome, it takes forever to enter a melody line because it’s impossible to do when not in the skip-line (step length) mode, and entering it live means tons of editing afterwards.
Yep, recording and playback is separated when stepping through the pattern when a song isn’t playing. What helps me here is relying on keyboard shortcuts that step through the pattern so I can quickly move around to the places that need changes. F9 to F12 are very handy for fast traveling across sections (same for home and end keys), move the cursor, pressing enter or other playback keys to review what was recorded, make changes and review again.
Your suggestion sounds like a good recording alternative, next to the traditional, non-realtime tracker way of entering notes, though ‘half an hour’ editing is definitely an exaggeration. Do you use keyboard shortcuts at all?
I want to be able to play VST instruments, external MIDI, and samples (samples would usually be some sort of live drums from something), and I want to be able to enter the notes with midi in an accurate fashion. I want to be able to put effects on those samples and VST instruments. I’d really love something I could feasibly record vocals with, but Renoise is NOT the interface for that–I can record, but it doesn’t insert it into the song at the point in which I start recording, so I have to spend 15 minutes getting the sample edited and placed just perfectly into the song–not worth the hassle to try to record vocals with as a result.
Something like reaper sounds better suited for what you’re trying to do.